Throughout the country, abandoned railroad lines are being developed into routes for bikers and cyclists. North Carolina Rail-Trails, organized six years ago, is promoting this concept statewide. Trails now exist in Wilmington, Carrboro and Greensboro.

Established in 1970, Raven Rock State Park is one of North Carolina's newest parks. It is located along the Cape Fear River and takes its name from the flocks of ravens that roosted there years ago. Its main feature is Raven Rock, which reaches a height of 152 feet and juts out at a forty-five degree angle above the river. Clemmons describes the location, length, and difficulty of the park's six hiking trails.

At its peak North Carolina's rail system included over 5,200 miles. With the advent of the interstate highway system, bigger trucks to haul freight, more people driving, and better local roads, railroad routes declined and fell into disuse. Now through the efforts of North Carolina Rail-Trails(NCRT), organized in 1988, these railroad beds are getting a second lease on life as pathways for hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders. Currently, there are twenty-eight rail-trail locations across the state either in operation, development, or in the planning stages.

New trails and guides make North Carolina's farms and galleries easy to find. The sixteen agritourism and agri-cultural trails cover seventy-four counties from the coast to the foothills. The trails were developed by the North Carolina Arts Council and North Carolina Cooperative Extension with the purpose of bringing people to venues not regularly on tourist routes. Places to visit along the trails include art galleries and studios, agritourism farms, organic farms, locally owned restaurants featuring North Carolina food, and festivals and events with a local flavor.

The American Tobacco Trail spans 6.5 miles of the Durham area and lies over a former rail bed, traveling from downtown to suburbia. Because the trail passes through neighborhoods of varying incomes, some trailgoers feel unsafe. The author discusses locals' views about the safety of the trail.

The success of the small game hunter is often determined by the access available. Forest roads and trails are important to game management programs and to hunting. The authors interviewed 553 small game hunters during the early-opening and late-opening seasons as they left the management areas after a day's hunt. Hunters were asked to describe how they used the roads and trails while hunting and to trace the route they had walked on a small-scale map of the hunting area. Responses were used to determine how access roads were used; how the hunters distributed themselves in the hunting area; what the game distribution was; and how far hunters penetrated into the woods from the access roads.

The Sauratown Trail dates back to the 1920s and 30s during the time of the construction of the Appalachian Trail. It is the first long-distance hiking trail developed on private land in the state. The twenty-mile trail may be the first link in a hiking trail the one day could reach across the state.

Duke Power Company is constructing the Foothills Trail along the border of North Carolina and South Carolina. The trail will feature eight primitive camp sites near streams and two boating access areas from Lake Jocassee.

A nature trail honoring wildlife enforcement officers killed in the line of duty was recently dedicated. The Little Walden Nature Trail at Tanglewood Park near Winston-Salem honors six wildlife officers who died in the line of duty since the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission was formed in 1947.

This is the first installment in a three-part series about the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The history of the trail dates back to 1977 and is detailed here. The trail stats at Clingman’s Dome near the Tennesse border and ends at Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks near the Atlantic Ocean. The Mountains portion of the trail covering trail segments 1-5 are covered here. The views, wildlife, and the work needed to maintain the trail are described. Allen De Hart's biography is also included as was the founder of the Friends of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail group and its staunchest supporter.

The North Carolina Birding Trail covers 310 locations to observe birds. This article highlights several bird watching sites on the trail, and discusses how birding benefits local economies. Also provided is information on birding guides and links to birding resources.

North Carolina is home to more than four hundred bird species yearly and is a major destination for birders. An imaginative birding trail project that first began in 2003 can now boast statewide coverage with the release of its final regional birding trail guide. The North Carolina Birding Trail goes into the Coastal Plain, Piedmont and Mountains, and links birders with great birding sites and local attractions.

North Carolina’s Mountains-To-Sea Trail runs from the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Atlantic Ocean, and is popular among hikers, bicyclers, and horseback riders. The rivers, creeks and sounds of the Coastal Plain Paddling Trails offer interesting outdoor excursions and camping for canoers and kayakers. The Rail-Trails are abandoned railroad corridors that have been converted into trails.

The author asserted the home, with grounds declared a historic site by the Federal Government, belied significance on many levels. Personal significance was illustrated in the builder naming the house after a town in Ireland. Personal significance can be perceived in the appreciated beauty of Western North Carolina that encouraged the Sandburgs’ move from Michigan. As for its historical significance, that can be gauged in its construction during the antebellum period and the original owner’s position as treasurer for the Confederacy.